Kids creations

Our kids have always been creative, but they seem to be even more so now.  Homeschool tends to draw out the creative side in kids since they have more time to spend creating.  Our time in the Philippines has given the kids even more time for creative ideas since they don't have any other activities to go to.  So let the creativity begin...

Cardboard, plastic, tape, and string are their supplies of choice.  Cardboard and plastic bags are free, and the tape and string are very cheap.  Amazing how such treasures can provide hours of enjoyment!

Kailee made a hot air balloon and made it fly with a fan underneath.  Ethan and Tyler made an airplane, hoping it would be able to fly...it didn't, but looks great hanging from the rafters in their room! Alyssum and Adams each made airplanes as well as small boxes that they decorated.  Ethan and Tyler also made a balloon/parachute.  They throw the parachute high, it unfolds, and gently floats back to the ground.

Boys and the Motorcycle

Ethan and Tyler talked their Dad into letting them learn how to ride the motorcycle on the airstrip.  The airstrip is a 1/2 mile long of beautifully mowed grass.  Perfect for learning to ride with few obstacles and a soft landing if need be.  So far they have managed to keep the bike upright except for once.  Then it was only a slow tip-over when the tires slipped into a ditch...no harm done to boy or bike!  Ethan is now wishing for a more difficult place to drive, but still enjoys getting on the bike for a cruise on the airstrip.  Tyler is just barely tall enough, but manages to keep the bike upright.  He loves being in control of the bike!  Boys and their big boy toys!!

Easter

For Easter we were invited to a Good Friday service.  The service was the joint effort of about six different churches in Brooke's Point.  Each church took a small part of the service...it was a very long service!!  But so good to worship with believers here and see how they are all involved in reaching out to their community.

On Easter Sunday we were invited to join the same group of people for a potluck/day at the beach.  It was a beautiful day!  Steve and I visited, Ann Marie and Ethan hung out and chatted with the teens, and Tyler, Kailee, Alyssum, and Adams swam and played in the water all day!  Certainly a different sort of warm Easter for this Alaskan family who is used to cold Easter celebrations in the north!

In one of the boxes brought to us with our Alaskan visitors we received several egg dying kits.  The kids and I enjoyed making colorful egg creations!

Tyler's oven

Tyler, our engineer and survivalist, designed a small metal oven towards the end of last year.  He drew up his plans on paper and sent the design to Grandpa, the welder.  Grandpa told Tyler that he could easily make his oven and would send it in the next box coming our way!  The oven wasn't a necessity, but just something fun that Tyler created to do his own baking and fire building!  The box with the oven arrived just as we had to leave the island.

When we moved to Lada the house did not have a stove or an oven.  We purchased a two burner stove top, but didn't want to spend the money on a complete stove and oven.  So now Tyler's fun creation became a necessity!  Ethan and Tyler made a small house for his oven and straddled the oven across two bricks so that a fire could be built underneath.

Now we just needed some firewood or something to burn to raise the temperature in the oven high enough to be able to bake.  Steve found a small family store across the street from our house that sold bags of charcoal.  At only 10pesos(25cents) a bag it is very cheap to use!  With the charcoal the boys are able to get the temperature high enough and stays somewhat consistent for several hours as we do our baking.

We've had to be creative with our baking as a 9x9 pan is as big as it gets in this little oven!  So we make round loaves of bread, six small pizzas for our entire family, pans and pans of cookies, a small cake, or many pans of granola.  It is not difficult to do, but just takes a long time to get the job done!

Friday nights we make pizza and everyone REALLY appreciates the effort put into making these pizzas!  Ann Marie is making the dough for our pizza crust. And then Ethan and Tyler take turns keeping track of the pizza in the oven...we don't want it burnt! It sure tastes great when it is finished!

Life at Lada

Our adventures in the Philippines have taken a slight different course than we had expected.  Because of continued threats on our island we decided that until the situation changes we need to live elsewhere.  NTM has been gracious to allow us to stay at one of their flight bases in an empty house.  We are staying at the southern end of Palawan at Lada.  It is on the road system so we just take a four hour van ride from Puerto Princesa to reach our home. Brooke’s Point is the town very near our place and we can get just about any supplies we need there.  From here we can keep a close watch on what is happening on the island.

Being here at Lada has given us an opportunity to make up a lot of school that the kids had missed during our unexpected break.  We have had such a year of unexpected delays and breaks in our school year.  The kids have taken to the task of completing their school year now that we have settled for now.

The grassy airstrip provides a wonderful place for reading, inspirational writing, and a place to run and play. 

Steve is using the opportunity while we are here to increase his language skills in Tagalog.  He uses a computer course as well as conversing with local people in the market and elsewhere. 

The house here is a little run down, but liveable.  We’ve had to do a few repairs such as replacing the dining room posts and floor supports.  The wood was totally eaten by termites and ants.  Once it was torn apart we couldn't believe it could support any weight at all!  It is so nice to have a sturdy floor in the dining room as it is one of the most frequently used rooms in the house, for meals as well as school.

The kids are always so helpful with chores and easily settle into our normal routine no matter where we are staying!  For each meal I have two helpers-they help with meal preparation as well as doing dishes and cleaning up.  The same team of two will do breakfast for a week and then the crews rotate to helping with a different meal the next week.  Everyone washes their own dishes at each meal!  I love this picture of the kids all lined up ready to do their dishes!!

Alyssum's Birthday

Alyssum turned 9 the beginning of April.  We celebrated with Uncle Randy, Aunt Marla, and cousins Nate, Anna, and Omega, and Uncle Dennis and Aunt Jeanie.  She had a cake decorated with Mentos and butterflies!  It was a fun party for a sweet girl!

More Alaskan Visitors!

We were so thrilled to be welcoming more visitors from our hometown in Alaska!  Dennis and Jeanie's daughter, Jenny, and her daughter, as well as two young ladies from our church, Marissa and Alecia. They were also planning to visit us down in the tribe, but plans were changed for them as well.  So we greeted them at the airport in Puerto Princesa and enjoyed the time with them in the small city!

They also enjoyed a variety of things while on Palawan.  The first being a three day trip into a tribal area.  Ann Marie was invited to go along on this trip...here is the trip from her perspective...

The day is Saturday March 12^th and we were heading for the village of Lumambong, which is located on the northern part of Palawan.  We, Aunt Jeanie, Jenny, Marissa, Alecia, Sela, and I, got up at 3:30 a.m. to get ready for our long day ahead. Our backpacks were packed the night before so we ready for the van that came for us at 4 a.m. The van took us to the terminal to pick up other passengers. We used this time to have an early breakfast of granola and yogurt. The van, which was not very big and the six of us were comfortable in, got packed full of more people. We had a squishy ride up to Roxas. There was a bathroom break and the girls got to experience squatty potties, beggars looking for some money, and vendors trying to sell  their jewelry! We got back on our crowded van for another two hours; the entire van ride was about four hours.

 We finally made it to a small village where a couple of boats were waiting for us. The boats were small; one was no wider than two people hips put together and the other was a little bit bigger but not by much! Most of our luggage was put in the bigger boat with Aunt Jeanie, Jenny, Marissa, and Sela. Alecia and I were in the smaller boat. It was a wavy, wet, and cold ride even though the sun was shining it didn’t warm us up. And we all got sunburn; some were really bad and some not so bad. The big boat had engine problems and they were stuck for a while bobbing up and down in the water. Our boat was quite a ways before our captain noticed and we turned around to give a helping hand. When we arrived they were bailing water from the bottom of their boat. The engine eventually started but they had a couple more breakdowns before they were on their way. The waves were huge and our boat was small so Alecia and I were drenched with salt water. The boat ride is usually one hour but due to our engine problems it took 1 ½ hours.

When we were almost there we passed up a boat that had a family in it going the other way. We didn’t think much about it until we landed and our hostess, Chris Pollock, said that the family had just brought two drowned kids. They asked if Chris could do anything but it was too late. It was a very emotional time for some.

The next day, Sunday, we went to the local church and worshipped with the native Christians. They were very friendly toward us and they were glad we came to visit them. Later, Alecia, Marissa, Jaimee (Chris’ daughter) and I went on the beach to play with some of the kids. Jaimee was our translator so everything worked out well! We also saw a boy with a third degree burn and it was really gross looking!

Our departure day was on Monday, so we got up bright and early again to wait for the jeepney. We all voted against going on the boat again, none of us wanted to get wet and stay wet all day long. We picked up a whole bunch of school kids along the way and dropped them off at school. Their ride was free. Some of our bags smelled like fish because they loaded anchovies with our entire luggage on the top! Smelly bags!! The driver and his apprentices had to change a tire and they did it with all of us still in the jeepney! Our ride was dusty and bumpy but we were sure glad we didn’t go for the boat ride.

The jeepney dropped us off at Roxas and we quickly found a van that will take us down to Puerto Princesa. This was a bigger van and we weren’t quite as cramped as last time. Our ride back was uneventful. Once we reached Puerto we had to find a jeepney that will take us to our last destination and that proved to be a chore. A guy offered to take us on his tricycle cab. So all six of us and our luggage cramped in a tiny cab.  Talk about a tight squeeze!! We made it there slowly but surely with all of belongings still intact!

I’m glad I went with them; it was fun experience with Jenny and the girls. I’m also glad they came to see what we do and where we live. 

After their weekend in the tribe, we spent the rest of the week showing them different things around Puerto Princesa.  Because the New Tribes guest house had previous reservations, we had had to find other accommodations.  Simon and Jinky at Bountiful Harvest offered their place to us and they had enough room for our large group!  While staying there Steve was able to share with Jenny and the girls about the challenge of gardening on our island and the things we have learned about improving the soil for better crops.  We also visited the Butterfly Garden which has many of the butterflies and other crawly creatures we have on our island.  A visit to the beach, tourist shops, and an afternoon at the foot spa were part of the fun!

Our week with them in Puerto Princesa ended when all 14 of us boarded an airplane for Manila!  Jenny and girls had another four days in Manila before they returned to Alaska.  Ann Marie and Ethan enjoyed the teenage rowdy time with Marissa, Alecia, Nathaniel, Anna, and Omega.  Lots of laughter and fun at the mall and at the Weissers!

We are so grateful for the time Jenny, Marissa, Alecia, and Sela shared with us!  Lots of laughter and memories made!  Thank you for coming and encouraging us!